Hundreds came out on a recent Saturday to the Center for Symbolic Studies to help partake in and celebrate the annual Beltane Festival in New Paltz.

An old Celtic tradition, Beltane is the celebration of the passing of winter and welcoming the arrival of spring.

Revelers who were dressed in Renaissance faire garb sang merrily, while little girls in fairy wings danced about enthusiastically and kids of all ages picked up a foam sword and charged one another in a field of faux battle.

As the sun began to set, members of the Vanaver Caravan Professional Dance Company and puppeteers prepared backstage to perform in the annual pageant that celebrated the spirit of Beltane. A Celtic tradition, Beltane festivities celebrate the transition of seasons.